MADACC issues an urgent plea for help, with shelter over capacity

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) — A plea to the MADACC public to volunteer, adopt and help. The Milwaukee Area Pet Control Commission, which houses strays from Milwaukee County, is over capacity and in a state of crisis.

“Every kennel is full. This is the worst we’ve seen it,” said Kate Hartlund, MADACC’s volunteer and community engagement coordinator.

Right now, MADACC is home to nearly 600 cats and dogs. With each kennel occupied, many have been split in two, which unfortunately allows these cuties only half the living space.

“I have always said that we will never euthanize because of time or space, and I am deathly afraid that we will come to that point. Because keeping animals in small cages and with so many animals in the shelter, it is not good for them. It is not beneficial for them, and it’s not healthy for them,” Hartlund said.

So MADACC asked social media that they were in a state of crisis.

One thing MADACC really needs right now is more volunteers, like Chelsea, to do things like walk a dog, like Claudia.

“If you can do it an hour a week, I’ll take an hour a week. If you can do it two hours a month, I’ll take it,” Hartlund said.

“So you can look, but it’s very, very important that you don’t put your fingers, okay?” MADACC volunteer Ann Woodward told a group of people in the lobby.

These three women have seen the number of volunteers dwindle over the past few years.

“It’s very easy. It’s a lot easier than you think,” volunteer Dawn Shipley said.

“I go in and talk to all my babies. I talk to them, I ask them how they’re doing,” volunteer Sue Albert said.

“Look at that smile, look at that pitiful smile,” Hartlund said to one of the dogs being cared for.

By 2023, MADACC served 12,000 animals. They are about to surpass the 12,000 mark by far, with the current number at 11,500. They need donations and help.

“You only see the ones that are available for adoption. The rest need that attention, too,” Woodward said.

“You know, we’re doing the best we can with what we have, but we don’t have enough,” Hartlund said.